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Western Illinois University Athletics

Michelle Maher
66
Western Illinois WIU 8-7, 1-1
79
Winner Omaha OMAHA 9-5, 2-0
Western Illinois WIU
8-7, 1-1
66
Final
79
Omaha OMAHA
9-5, 2-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Western Illinois WIU 13 11 18 24 66
Omaha OMAHA 26 12 23 18 79

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Comeback Effort Comes Up Short as Leathernecks Fall at Omaha

A 22-6 fourth quarter run not enough as Western drops its Summit League contest

OMAHA, Neb. – A valiant comeback effort by the Western Illinois women's basketball team fell short Sunday (Jan. 3) afternoon, dropping a 79-66 decision to Omaha. Trailing by 21 points in the final quarter, the Purple and Gold were able to cut the Mavs lead down to five, before a 7-of-8 showing from Omaha at the free throw line sealed the game. Michelle Maher tallied a team-high 18 points and five rebounds for Western Illinois (8-7, 1-1 Summit League), as a two-game winning streak was snapped.

"I give the team credit for fighting back and playing with quite a bit of fight there towards the end but that makes it almost more frustrating," said head coach JD Gravina. "Where was that the entire game? I know we were flying around and pressing and they were playing not to lose, but you have to get yourself into that mind frame a little bit earlier and we definitely weren't there. The rebounding was absolutely atrocious. Omaha is an okay rebounding team, but to only have 12 defensive rebounds to their 11 offensive rebounds makes it a jump ball on their boards. Offensively we played really scared and passive against their zone. You saw what happened we played looser and had nothing to lose but it was a pretty frustrating first 30 minutes."

Mikaela Shaw, who ended the day with 17 points, got a layup to fall with 8:54 left in the fourth quarter to extend Omaha's (9-5, 2-0 Summit League) lead to 21 points over the visiting Leathernecks. The Purple and Gold responded, though, as over the next 7:48 Western Illinois would go on a 22-6 run to cut the Mavs lead to just five. Maher kicked the run off with an old fashioned 3-point play, and Taylor Higginbotham scored in the paint on a Maher assist.
 
Following a Mavs bucket, Western ripped off five straight points, with Maher knocking down a triple and Taylor McClintock getting open for a layup in the paint. Western's full court press helped create opportunities, as the Purple and Gold forced seven turnovers and collected four steals in the quarter.
 
Sophie Reichelt tallied back-to-back jumpers, and Maher knocked down another triple to trim the deficit to eight, forcing an Omaha timeout. Another Maher triple would cut the Omaha lead to just seven moments later, as the senior would end with five made triples on the day and 12 points in the final quarter. Emily Clemens then got to the basket for a layup to pull WIU with five, the closest it had been since Omaha led 13-9 with 4:32 left in the first.
 
Remy Davenport, who scored a game-high 27 points, hit a crucial three with 1:10 remaining to push the lead back to eight, and the Mavs would go 7-of-8 from the line to put an end to Western's comeback bid. Omaha was hot from the field Sunday, as the team shot 54.9 percent (28-of-51) from the field, and 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from deep. The Mavs also held a sizeable rebounding edge, outrebounding the Leathernecks, 42-24.
 
After a first half in which Omaha built a 38-24 lead, it looked as though Western was poised to make a run coming out of the break. A 9-3 WIU run trimmed the 12-point halftime lead to just eight, Clemens collected four points during the run. Omaha was able to answer, as the Mavs scored the next seven points to push the advantage back into double digits.
 
Clemens finished the day with 12 points, five steals, and a pair of assists, her third straight game in double figures. Reichelt tallied 10 points to join Maher and Clemens in double figures.
 
The Purple and Gold return to action this Thursday, January 7, as Western travels to take on Fort Wayne. Tip-off between the Leathernecks and Mastodons is set for 6 p.m. (CT). 
 
 
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